Ukrainian Grain Pudding

Tracey Seaman

Epicurious
December 2006

3/4

reviews (8)

100%

make it again

Photo by Chris Astley; food styling: Tracey Seaman

Kutia

This lightly sweetened pudding is the first of 12 traditional dishes served on Christmas Eve in Eastern Europe. Countries such as the Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania each have their own version, sometimes chilled, sometimes served as a warm porridge. (The dish used to be a tradition in Russia as well, but because of the communist Soviet Union's official atheism, it has become extinct there.)

Our version is based on the baked Ukrainian style, which is traditionally made with wheat berries, which require overnight soaking and long cooking. For convenience, we've substituted quick-cooking barley, which packs the same nutty-chewy punch. For the best results, prepare the pudding a day ahead: Let it cool, cover it, and chill it overnight to let the flavors meld. Serve it chilled, plain or sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar.

Ingredients

Preparation

In medium saucepan over high heat, combine barley and 5 cups water. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary to keep barley covered.

Meanwhile, bring small saucepan water to boil. Stir in poppy seeds, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 30 minutes.

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Recent Review

Kutia is a very
traditional
Christmas Eve dish,
and is even believed
to predate
Christianity in
Ukraine. So many
variations of this
exist. Some families
eat this at the end
of the Christmas Eve
meal, rather than
the beginning, since
it is sweet. The
cinnamon in this
version is an
interesting
addition, as are the
apricots (I'm not
sure why they look
green in the photo).
My own family adds
rose petal preserves
to kutia.